I am a big fan of Pedro Andrade, an anchor of Fusion Live TV, who was born in Rio de Janeiro and has a real carioca style, even though he lives in United States for a long time. He is very smart and a multi-talented journalist, model, lecturer, speaker, writer, television host and not to mention a very handsome and charming man! In Brazil, he is part of a team of ‘wild’ and very respectful journalists in a TV show called “Manhattan Connection”, exhibited weekly on Globo News Channel. In the program he comments about culture, art, movies and gives tips of some U.S. cities, specially New York.

As he lived for a long time in NY (now he is living in Miami, if I am not mistaken) and knows each spot of the Big Apple, such as great restaurants, he transformed his local experience in a travel guide that became a best-seller in brazilian market. He also has a blog and there you can know more about him and his projects >>> www.pedroandradetv.com

Wake up for this new post! By following me in this blog, you will see that I love to eat great food and find special places to appreciate the food, the local environment or the view (in many cases when it comes to beautiful Rio!). And nothing better than begin a day with a great breakfast, and by great I mean a perfect combination of food, place and service.

I will mention 3 places that I really appreciate and if you don’t wanna go there for your first meal of the day, you can go when you want because they always have the options of everything you can eat in an usual breakfast. The order here does not mean preference, okay?! 😉

CAFEÍNA

You can find Cafeína in some neighborhoods in Rio – Copacabana, Botafogo and Leblon. I personally prefer going to Cafeína Leblon (there are 2 in Leblon, and I’m talking about the one located at Rua Ataulfo de Paiva 1321, the main street, corner with Rua Rita Ludolf) if I want to sit and relax seeing people walking by, passing with their dogs or going towards the beach, just a few blocks away.

In the photo above you see exactly how it comes the breakfast I usually order, and serves 2 or 3 people, depending on how starving you are! Comes with a diverse types of breads, toasts with butter and jelly, fresh cheese and curd, and mini cakes and cookies. I always drink their cappuccino – delicious! This choice comes with one hot drink and one juice. If you go with some frieds is just to order more drinks. Also, they have a varied menu of sandwiches and I have already tried some of them – Yes, I put my “fat thinking” to work!!! Italian, brie with apricot (if you like a great balance between saltiness and sweetness) and pastrami are my favorites!

And my “real crime” is eating the traditional waffle – OMG!!! I love it with butter, jelly and honey. And to complete, a chocolate milkshake, please! Let’s move on in this breakfast tips! haha

DA CASA DA TÁTA

Da Casa da Táta is a small but very cozy place, that makes me fell at home or in my grandmother’s home! A quiet and rustic place in a very busy Gávea neighborhood, close to Shopping da Gávea (local mall). The first time I went there was to give a special “gift” to my sister on her birthday, and she loved the place and the food just like me. That is, you will have a great day beginning it with your breakfast there.

I chose the “Café da Táta” option, the one in the picture above. Home-made breads with butter and jelly, pão de queijo (cheese bread), chocolate bread or with raisins, one cake to be chosen as your preference, one juice and one hot drink. Enough and very delicious to share! And I can’t say goodbye to this place without telling you to taste their pamonha, a wonderful corn-paste wrapped in husks, creamy and sweet! Neeeeeext…

EMPÓRIO JARDIM

This brand new restaurant is a mix of bistro, deli and bakery, opened in March/2014 and headed by chef Iona Rothstein (ex-Quadrucci e Le Pré Catelan – two renowned restaurants in Rio, and bakery certified by French Culinary Institute, Nova York). When you get there you find also a cozy place, that is focused not only in the food quality but also in its décor, with a cute garden in the entrance. I love when a restaurant mix all the aspects in order to take care of their customers. After all, I want to “feel at home, but outside” in a pleasant atmosphere, and the Empório Jardim (jardim = garden) is in the right place, at Jardim Botânico neighborhood, close to the main Garden of the city.

They have a varied menu and the big thing is of course the good home-made breads. And what I like the most is that you can checklistin a special menu what you wish for your breakfast, what makes it easy to customize it as much as you have more “room” to eat “pieces” of yummy food! I ordered different breads such as the croissant and one with nuts, slices of cheese, fruit (the mashed banana with oatmeal and honey was so good that today is part of my breakfast at home) and a special home-made butter flavoured with fig. Their tapioca (a starch extracted from manioc) is also a must-order, stuffed with goiabada (guava) or nutella. Yummy again!!! One cappuccino and the bill, please!

One of the first things everyone is worried when planning a trip is where is the best place to stay. While some people are looking for good deals and fair prices, others are looking for better location and confort. Usually my rating begins on neighborhoods location and how the room looks like, and to me cleaning is always an extra concern. But this last one is hard to measure until you get in your destination, right?! So, pictures and travellers reviews are our best friends in this moment.

I recommend you two ways to find your accommodation:

Airbnb.com – Sometimes I dream of a place that I want to visit and I spend some very delightful hours “dating” with some apartments and rooms I see in the Airbnb website. Do you know they send professional photographers for free to take those pictures? And I think this makes all the difference… First, because they do a previous selection of the place and after because you see what you see, because they don’t want to mislead their consumers. In Rio, you can find many great offers if you want to stay in a local lodging and not in a hotel. The prices may vary from R$150 to R$550/day (in main locations such as Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon). Find your Airbnb accommodation here!

Booking.com – you can book a hotel for a better price than going directly to a hotel website, you can check the reviews and has the support of Booking.com if the hotel not comply, for some reason, with your purchase. Find your hotel here!

A nice walking from Arpoador to Leblon beach is really recommended! The only thing you will need is a willingness to walk and maybe stop by to drink a cold coconut water… But with this view I guess it will be easy, though!

Which one is the best to visit? The Confeitaria Colombo (Colombo Confectionery) at Copacabana Fort (Forte de Copacabana) or at Downtown city (Centro)? Touch question, man! Both are great to see and enjoy a good cappuccino. In the first one I am pretty sure you will be delighted with the magnificent view of Copacabana Beach. But if you appreciate architecture and decor, you can not miss the opportunity to see the stained glass, mirrors and brocade marble countertops of Confeitaria Colombo in Downtown, where presidents and many celebrities had visited in the past. Definitely they have different proposals! Take one, or both if you have time!

This week my aunt celebrated her birthday at Confeitaria Colombo in Fort Copacabana and I took some photos for you. It was at lunchtime, and during the week they usually have a menu of the day.

Next year, TEDGlobal will be held for the first time in Latin America — in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from October 6-10, 2014, on the beach of Copacabana. The theme for the event is, appropriately, “South!” and will be a celebration of the innovation, dynamism and creativity pouring out of South America, as well as out of the global south at large. Because fresh ideas can come from any direction.

“Rio has been beckoning TED for many years, both metaphorically and literally,” says curator Chris Anderson, explaining why we opted for this new location. “It’s at the heart of a continent bursting with fresh thinking. We’re delighted to finally be going. This conference will be ambitious, a thrilling new chapter for TED’s growing community of global souls.”

TEDGlobal Director Bruno Giussani adds, “We are proud of the conferences we’ve held in Edinburgh. As TED’s international…

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This post is just to let you know about a useful link that you can check the schedule programming at Lapa, the bohemian neighborhood, where you can find a mix of good music, especially samba, pagode, funk and… guess what…really happy people! To me, is the best place in Rio to enjoy nightlife. Each night has a great variety of shows, live music, famous and unknown artists, from small to big houses, to all tastes! It’s up to you to choose!

Here is a list of great places to go (but there are many and the best thing to do is to check the schedule of the house first):

Carioca da Gema

Centro Cultural Carioca

Circo Voador

Democráticos

Fundição Progresso

Lapa 40

Rio Scenarium

Sacrilégio

Despite the website is written in portuguese, you can see the calendar, the places and its shows, time and price of each.

This is a unique opportunity to visit the Christ the Reedemer Statue at night. For the first time, Christ will be open for the public on June 13, 14 and 15th from 6pm to 9pm. This is a test for its 24-hour shifts during this year’s World Youth Day (Jornada Mundial da Juventude).

The statue will display a new lightning system designed by German artist and Rio resident for the last 62 years, Paul Gasper. The special illumination will light up the Paineiras path that leads up to the Christ, as well as the Corcovado platform, on which the 40m statue stands. So, if you want to see the city illuminated from the top, this is your chance to make great photos!

Tickets are available for purchase online only >>> buy it here for R$27,36!

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Rio and I had the opportunity to have lunch in a really great restaurant and bar that I would like to recommend you! Bar d’Hotel is on the second floor of Marina All Suites Hotel, in Leblon… better, in front of Leblon Beach! It must be said that it is not a paid post. I really loved the food, the atmosphere, the service and the view!!! 😉

The retro-modern décor is amazing, with a special lightning done by Maneco Quinderé – a famous “light designer” of Brazil – that you can apprecciate if you go there at night. But in a daylight you will feel amazed by the view of the beach. The place fits perfectly with the contemporary cuisine, that leverages creativity with the Brazilian ingredients.

I confess that it is not easy to talk about food in English, but let me try! I ate a wonderful risotto jerky (dried meet) and a marvilous dessert called Pão-de-ló, kind of cake soaked in milk served with dulce de leche ice cream, that melted in the mouth. Hummm… I guess the picture explains by itself!!!